Know the West

Wildlife Saloon

In arid areas where
streams run only during the spring or during storms, deer, elk and
bighorn sheep can have a hard time finding a drink. Now, an
artificial water hole called the "Wildlife Saloon" lets animals
drink their fill.

On the surface, all you can see
is a small, mostly buried stock tank. The heart of the system lies
beneath the ephemeral stream channels near which the saloons are
built.

It consists of a narrow, long underground
reservoir, filled with gravel, and lined above and below to keep
water from seeping into the ground or evaporating into the desert
air.

Rain and runoff periodically fill the
reservoirs, which then meter out the stored water into a
valve-controlled water hole. The Pueblo of Santa Ana in New Mexico
recently installed a 30,000-gallon system; construction costs for
the reservoirs range from $1.50 to $2 per gallon of storage
capacity.